The present invention relates to a device for measuring a discharge of urine.
In the past, it has been found desirable to obtain various data pertaining to a urine discharge. In particular, it was discovered that many urological problems could be readily diagnosed by analyzing information obtained during the natural voiding of urine by patients. For example, the capability of a patient to rapidly void a large volume of urine indicates an absence of a urethral stricture in the patient. If the cast distance or force of the urine discharge is relatively low in spite of a normal voiding volume per unit time, this condition of the patient suggests inadequate contraction of the patient's bladder, rather than a urethral obstruction. Presently, various types of devices are utilized to obtain data on the urine stream, but many of such devices have suffered from less than total reliability because they have required the presence of one or more observers while the patient is voiding. It is obvious that administration of such devices in this manner creates sufficient psychological difficulties for many of the patients to effect voiding. Consequently, if the patients void at all, the potentially erroneous data obtained may result in a false diagnosis and a loss of confidence in the device by the physician. A further complication arises from the fact that many of these devices are rather bulky, and somewhat difficult to use.